Why I’m Voting for Cynthia McKinney for President

Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party’s nominee for US President for this year’s election.Her VP running mate, Rosa Clemente, is a hip-hop journalist and activist.If votes were based on intelligence and integrity, these beautiful women would win, hands down.Unfortunately, the corporate-owned media will never give equal coverage to candidates who shun corporate financing, meaning few voters will realize they have more than two choices on Election Day.

In the last two elections, the St Joe County Election Board failed to count all votes cast for legitimate candidates (Greens as well as Democrats, Independents and other parties).This year, Cynthia McKinney will be a write-in candidate on the Indiana ballot. There are also 10 other candidates eligible for write-in votes.The Leagueof Women Voters of the South Bend Area has challenged the Election Board to count all the votes this year and will be watching the results closely.Because the local election board never bothered to purchase ballot diverters to allow easier counting of write-in votes, poll workers will be opening all the ballot boxes that indicate write-in candidates were chosen.With record voter turnout expected, it’s going to be a very late night for poll workers.Of course, the obvious solution is to make Indiana’s ballot access equitable for all parties so all votes are counted with the same mechanism.

My sister was trying to give me the business for wanting to vote for the Green Party candidate for President, Cynthia McKinney.She suggested any vote not for Obama was a de facto vote for McCain.Firstly, I prefer McKinney’s stance on universal health care and her challenges to the Bush administration while she was a Congresswoman, including voting against invading Iraq.Her voting record upholds the pillars of the Green Partywith respect to women’s rights, human rights and the environment.Voting for someone other than Cynthia McKinney would be a vote against my conscience.

Most importantly, it doesn’t matter WHO anyone votes for, so long as the vote-counters are illegally disenfranchising voters.If we Greens and other independents in St Joe County and elsewhere capitulate on holding Election Boards to democratic principles, there will come a time when Election Day is a complete sham.